Approach in DC schools

[Anonymous]

I am looking for some insight from parents of children in some of the public schools in NW DC regarding the educational approach. We recently moved to Montgomery County from Boston and chose this area due to all the advice we received about Moco's excellent public schools. However, we have been amazed and disappointed by the rigidity of the Moco curriculum and the emphasis on testing/assessments. Yes, our kids are learning to read early, but they are already under so much pressure! Creativity and risk-taking aren't encouraged at all, which seems unhealthy for 5 year olds.

We realize that private schools may offer more of the "whole-child" approach, but we aren't pursuing this option yet both due to the cost and our desire to be part of a public school community.

I've read quite a bit on this forum about the DC schools like Murch, Key, Janney, Lafayette as far as parents being happy with these. However, I'm struggling to get a sense about their educational approach. How much emphasis is there on reading and math in kindergarten and 1st grade? What about non-traditional approaches to learning such as project-based learning to make topics more concrete? How does emphasis on play-based learning compare to Moco schools?

We will be attending open houses soon, but first-hand opinions from parents on this listserv would be much, much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

We are a happy Murch family. There seems to be a lot of play based and hands on learning. There may have been 2 worksheets to date in K. No homework except for a 5 min assignment that you do with them over the weekend. Lots of recess (2 1/2 hours), specials (one every day) and play time (1 hour free choice). Seems quite different than what friends in MC (Bethesda, CC and SS) describe. Seems very developmentally appropriate and DS LOVES going to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:However, we have been amazed and disappointed by the rigidity of the Moco curriculum and the emphasis on testing/assessments.

I wouldn't lay all the blame with the county--I think that schools also vary according to their leadership and teachers. We're at a MoCo school where creativity and risk-taking are considered a good thing.

[Anonymous]

My kids attend one of the schools you mention and are in 2nd and 4th and we are very happy with the school. But some key words in your question make me think that you may be better suited for private school. Risk-taking, non-traditional approaches, play-based learning to me it sounds like you are looking for more progressive education or montessori-based education perhaps.

All in all if you choose a public school you are getting a more traditional approach with an emphasis, especially in the early years, on reading and math. And testing is a part of the mix, no way to get around that. However, kids do have an opportunity to be creative - so for example a unit on Native Americans was not only taught in social studies but also crossed with the music and art class and the kids studied various tribal communities and put on a performance showing all they learned. My older child is constantly working on projects for science and social studies.

If you are really looking for a specific educational approach and that matters the most to you AND you hate the idea of testing then private is probably better for you. For us the testing part of it is not a big deal (I know it's not a popular sentiment around here but I actually happen to like the testing.) We are pleased with what they are learning and set to continue with public for middle school as well.

[Anonymous]

Much of this is due to No Child Left Behind mandates. There is a lot of standardized testing in DC public schools. Chancellor Rhee is exceedingly data driven. That said, you may find a DC school that meets your needs. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

It also helps to tour the schools you are interested in and talk to the teachers. Just looking at the schedule helps too. I asked questions about recess times and lengths, any free play time, what exactly goes on during LA and math time, etc. In the public schools, things that are not on the test tend to get pushed aside or away all together for things that are tested. You may want to consider private schools.

[Anonymous]

I recently toured John Eaton and was very surprised because K seemed much less "academic" than I expected (based on conversations with friends whose children are in K in Montgomery Country). They do not teach reading in K, and the children appear to have a lot of free play time. I didn't hear anything about homework in K. Overall, the atmosphere seemed pretty relaxed and age appropriate. Given your concerns, you might want to check out Eaton and some of the other DCPS you mentioned.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP, we have a child in K at one of the schools you mentioned OP, and except for it being all day, it is a lot like K as I remembered it. Very different than the academic focus and intensity you mention. But, testing does kick in in the early grades in any public school. If you want to avoid that, go private. I'd advise you to look at several schools both public and private to get a sense of what is out there. Ask about the early grades since your child is already in K. I've looked at the first grade in my child's school and it still seems pretty relaxed. They do teach reading in K at my child's school though, they do Reader's Workshop in addition to Writer's Workshop.

[Anonymous]

OP, also look at schools like Sheridan, Georgetown Day School and Green Acres, and depending on where you are, maybe Lowell? Many Lowell families end up moving near the school making it their "neighborhood" school, which you might like.

Keep in mind that many DC families go private in 3rd (to avoid public middle school). This may be changing, but otherwise you'd be looking at changing just for first and second. We are a happy DC public family and I think you would be happy with the very early grades, then have the same issues.

It might even be worth it to spend a session with a consultant who is familiar with public and private options.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, due to the new IMPACT evaluation instrument, DC public schools are also becoming much more regimented. Teachers are evaluated 5 times a year using an extremely rigid rubric. After the first two observations, the rest of the observations are unscheduled. Although I'm a reading/writing workshop teacher, I feel tremendous pressure to change the way I'm teaching in order to conform to this rubric.

New also to DC is a very extensive and intrusive assessment schedule which calls for what the District is euphemistically calling "progress monitoring". It's really a relentless schedule for using DIEBELS and the Test of Reading Comprehension to facilitate the development of graphs and charts of data, which I find of little worth. Nevetheless, classroom teachers are compelled to do this progress monitoring during regular class time, which of course, takes a huge bite out of our teaching time.

I no long have children who attend DC public schools, but if I did, due to these recent "reforms," I would pull them out immediately and enroll them in alternate schools.

[Anonymous]

pp, are charter schools subject to the new testing schedule you've described

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pp, are charter schools subject to the new testing schedule you've described

Charter schools are only required to administer the state-wide assessment, which for us is the DC-CAS at the end of April, per No Child Left Behind. Otherwise, they have the freedom to choose their own curricula, assessments, teaching strategies, and evaluations.

[Anonymous]

Some charter schools, Haynes for example, do a tremendous amount of testing. Worth asking about.

[Anonymous]

Which I suppose is understandable given the fact that charters are also evaluated using the DC-CAS. I believe the Haynes founder was a New Leader for New Schools product. This group is very focused on data and measuring achievement using test scores.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the many useful responses. It's unfortunate that DC schools are also ramping up their testing. Of course, there are pros and cons to everything but it would be great to find a school that can maintain a good balance between implementing the required testing policies, but allowing for teacher creativity and attention to other aspects of child development beyond academics. In any case, it sounds like visiting and comparing schools would be a good next step!

For the person who posted about the school in Moco that seemed a bit more relaxed, would you mind sharing which one that is?

Thank you, all, again.